Private Addiction Treatment

What is Video Game Addiction?

The ultra lucrative video game industry is perpetually releasing more complex, realistic and compelling (enthralling for many) video games have been strategically designed to capture and sustain the attention of increasingly sophisticated and able gamers. The nature of these video games seems, for many to generate an increased compulsion to relentlessly engage in game play to excessive and life-defeating extremes. Although the American Medical Association has not formally designated what many like to call “video game addiction” as a mental disorder, it’s clearly possible for gamers to develop increasingly life-narrowing compulsions — obsessive immersion in various forms of video games. The decompensation associated with such compulsions frequently interferes with vital life responsibilities: health-preserving recreation, enthrallment and fun, meaningful social interchange and productivity in work or school — it seems that one’s life can get as narrow as your computer game console and control . . .

What is Video Game Addiction?
Out of Control at the Controls!

The immensely profitable video game industry markets a significant number of video games to the teen and young adult demographic, yet many older adults are somehow dependent on technology too. It seems abundantly obvious that most of our population would admit to loads of torment and trouble surrounding technology consumption: cell phone texting and other digitally driven compulsions and technical demands. How many passwords can you possibly remember? Have you ever felt abused by phone menus, technical “support” and aggravating life-draining voice message prompts that tell you just what to do — “after the beep?”

In reasonable amounts, video games can be an enjoyable part of someone’s day. However, it is increasingly clear that video games experience a broad range of behavioral and socio-relational problems. Techno pass times come to progressively interfere with daily responsibilities and functional activities of daily living. Similar to other addictions, there is routinely a persistent and sometimes obsessive desire to spend time engaging in cyber-space. Compulsive technology use always seems to create estrangement in our most important relationships. Responsibilities are squandered as the gamer is entangled in the web . . .

Dangerous Effects of Game Addiction

Impaired gamers frequently begin to neglect interpersonal and professional responsibilities — work, romance, family or school. Academic performance suffers as compulsive gaming infiltrates work — sleep deprivation, irritability and moodiness are routine! Relationships languish as a gamer spends more time with video games and ignores real-person actions — isolation, alienation and social withdrawal.

Various physical ailments accompany the gamer who spends extraordinary amounts of time using a computer or a game consoles and controls. Carpal tunnel syndrome may affect hands and wrists due to excessive time spent with gaming equipment. A host of physical complains are frequently noteworthy: headaches, backaches, and dry eyes are additional complaints of gamers. Weight issues may plague gamers also, due to the lack of physical activity connected with this lifestyle. The obsession with video games can also lead to emotional problems, with depression being a common issue for gamers.

Warning Signs

People experiencing compulsions to play video games “addictively” typically exhibit warning signs. Common signs of a problem include a clear preoccupation with video games to the point of neglecting relationships and vital-life responsibilities. People having trouble with video game compulsions may lie to hide the time spent gaming. Compulsive gamers also present anger, irritability, or become entirely forlorn when something interferes with gaming time. During time away from gaming, one may complain that they feel anxious and unsettled.

Preventing Video Game Addiction

It is clearly beneficial to avoid the issues that accompany this compulsion. Instituting clear parental limitations for teens on time spent playing video games may help people avoid developing compulsions to playing these games. Intentionally choose to cultivate other vital in-the-world activities, such as outdoor sports, movement and recreation in the fresh air, concerts, cooking together or spending time with interesting friends and cultivating the kinship of family, instead of playing video games. Parents best provide astute and ongoing supervision and limits on the time children spend playing video games to prevent compulsions from starting. Explore the literature about this! It helps to recognize compulsive gamers are always waiting for the next playing opportunity.

Getting Help for Game Addiction in Seattle 

Call: 206-547-HELP | Dr. Patrick J. Hart | Private Practice

If video game compulsions become an issue, it is possible to get help to resolve these feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help a problem gamer move past the addiction. Appropriate therapy can help the compulsive person refocus thoughts and energy on different activities instead of gaming. If a “game addict” has been immersed in an extensive gaming community, spending time with other people who are also playing video games, it may be necessary to change the gamer’s physical environment for a period of time to institute new habits and thought processes. Private therapy or residential treatment facility could provide this temporary environment to help a person move past video game compulsions.

Seattle Teenage Drug Abuse and Addiction Prevention

Teenage Drug Abuse.

Protecting Your Kids from Substance Abuse and Addiction



While raising your child is one of the most rewarding aspects of living your life, it is also one of the toughest. As children grow up and become teens, the issues that surround parenting change and many families recognize that their youngsters will certainly be tempted to explore alcohol and drug use. It is certainly6 common to underestimate just how rampant substance abuse among young people is and how early it starts. Parents may also believe that because your child is not exposed to drugs at home this will protect them from experimentation, so some parents may not sense the need to raise the issue. Indeed, a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMSA in 2013 found that almost 10% of parents don’t broach the subject of substance misuse with their kids and more than 20% feel that what they say will have little impact on whether their children will choose to experiment. As parents you have an influential role though, so informing yourself with the facts about child and teen drug abuse, and how you can protect your kids from substance misuse and addiction, is vital no matter how old your children are.

Can Facebook Make You Sad? Internet Addiction Therapy

Internet Addiction Treatment

Therapy in Seattle for Facebook Addiction

and Internet Addiction Disorder

Facebook has granted us a new form of communication that has transformed life in so many ways unimagined just a short time ago. Facebook’s statistics are astounding. In just one single decade, Facebook has signed up some 1.3 billion members, half of whom log in on any given day and spend an average of 18 minutes every visit. Facebook instantly connects families across continents, friends across the years and people around the world. Evaluation for Internet Addiction Disorder

Evaluation for Internet Addiction Disorder

Internet Addiction Treatment

Nonetheless, Facebook’s effects on its users may not be entirely benign. Some researchers suggest that the ability to connect digitally, through the internet ethers does not necessarily make people any happier, and in fact inordinate Facebook time tends to reduce the satisfaction they feel about their life. Can it really be possible that Facebook makes you sad?

Until quite recently, few had studied this question and the little evidence that did exist actually hinted that the social network has a beneficial effect.

“Last summer, a team of psychologists from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the University of Leuven in Belgium decided to drill a bit deeper by evaluating how life satisfaction changes over time with Facebook use. Ethan Kross and colleagues questioned a group of people five times a day over two weeks about their emotional state. They asked questions such as “how do you feel right now?”, “how lonely do you feel right now?”, “how much have you used Facebook since we last asked?” and so on. This gave them a snapshot of each individual’s well-being and Facebook usage throughout the day.

The team found that Facebook use correlated with a low sense of well-being. “The more people used Facebook over two-weeks, the more their life satisfaction levels declined over time,” they said. “Rather than enhancing well-being… these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it.”

The Sober Truth | Science Debunks 12-Step Rehab Methods

Alcoholics Anonymous | Rehab Success Rates

There is a large body of evidence now looking at the real picture of AA success rates. The success rate of The Minnesota Rehabilitation Model (AA Based) is between 5 and 10 percent. Most people don’t seem to know that because it’s not widely publicized.

“There are some studies that have claimed to show scientifically that AA is useful. These studies are riddled with scientific errors and they say no more than what we knew to begin with, which is that AA has probably the worst success rate in all of medicine.”

It’s not only that AA has a 5 to 10 percent success rate; if it was successful and was neutral the rest of the time, we’d say OK. But it’s harmful to the 90 percent who don’t do well. And it’s harmful for several important reasons. One of them is that everyone believes that AA is the right treatment. AA is never wrong, according to AA. If you fail in AA, it’s you that’s failed.

Internet and Techno Addicted Youth | Selfie Addict Attempts Suicide

Selfie addict attempts suicide after failing to take the perfect selfie . . . . 

“People don’t realise when they post a picture of themselves on Facebook or Twitter it can so quickly spiral out of control. It becomes a mission to get approval and it can destroy anyone,”



“It’s a real problem like drugs, alcohol or gambling. I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve been through.”

Remain Drug Free | Call me to explore psychotherapy in Seattle

Side Effects May Include Lawsuit 

While the balance between efficacy and risks of antipsychotic medications remains questionable, how these drugs became so ubiquitous and profitable is not — huge “pharmaceutical money” drives billions of dollars yearly. Pharmaceutical manufactures and advertising giants are literally “making a killing”

Making a Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging

Big Pharma got behind antipsychotic medications with fervor in the 1990s, when antipsychotics were promoted as the “standard of care” for the most profoundly serious and debilitating mental illnesses, like hallucinatory schizophrenia, and recast them for much broader uses, according to previously confidential industry documents that have been produced in a variety of court cases.

Anointed with names like Zyprexa, Geodon, Abilify and Seroquel, such antipsychotic drugs have recently been increasingly prescribed and administered to an exceptionally broad swath of patients, from preschoolers to retirees.

Today, more than a half-million youths take antipsychotic drugs, and fully one-quarter of nursing-home residents have been prescribed such drugs — despite clear and reprehensible risks! Please notice that recent government warnings clearly say the drugs may be fatal to some older patients and have unknown effects on children.

Just where does the psychosis really lie?

“It’s the money,” says Dr. Jerome L. Avorn, a Harvard medical professor and researcher. “When you’re selling more than $1 billion a year of a given drug, it’s very tempting for a company to just ignore the traffic ticket (cost of wrongful death lawsuits) and keep speeding.”

Do Twelve Step Programs Like AA Work for You? | Explore Your Alternatives!

Do 12-step programs work?

Again, sort of . . .



A 10-year-long research study published in 2013 claimed to demonstrate a significant benefit for those attending AA meetings, while critics of the organization often point to a 2006 review article that found no quantifiable benefit from AA or other 12-step programs. In fact, it is clear that academic researchers have been complaining for decades about the lack of data on 12-step programs. The Alcoholics Anonymous organization has apparently compiled internal data on membership attrition rates, but it hasn’t done enough to satisfy the

Food Addiction Counseling | It is Not Just Psychological!

Morphine, morphine everywhere . . .

In common cow’s milk, the protein casein breaks down during digestion into a range of casomorphin peptides, while modern (routinely genetically modified) wheat contains several gluten exorphins. Both casomorphins and exorphins are closely related to the well-known opioid, morphine, and exhibit many of its insidious addictive properties. The so-called ‘food opiates’ are powerful psychoactive substances. You only have to look at the effect of morphine and heroin addiction to appreciate that they are some of the most addictive substances known to man.

Seattle Therapy |Game Addiction | Pornography Addict?

The Psychology of Video Game Addiction

Pioneers in the field of video game addiction are making clear thaw fact that this problem is rapidly escalating . Internet game and porn addiction has all the features needed to classify an addiction: losing occupations and loved ones; withdrawal symptoms like cold sweats rage and property destruction . . . people complain of migraines, back problems and,very occasionally, death. And it’s occurring around the globe, but especially in America, the UK, and parts of Asia (China, Korea, and Japan).

No one knows how many people are affected, but two statistics stand out: Globally, this is a $66 billion dollar industry, and in 2007 a study found almost 12 percent of participants in a 7,000 person study were diagnosed as addicted to video games. Clearly, if that trend even partially reflects numbers in the greater population, we’re in trouble.

The Ever Present Danger of Relapse in Drug Addictions

Why Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Is So Scary

It is clear that the root causes of drug addiction, like those of many multifactorial diseases, are frustratingly elusive — exceedingly nebulous mixture — of genetics, exposure, culture, conditioning, personality and environment . . .

Addiction obviously runs in families, but plenty of addicts come from families with no history of the illness. To be sure, availability plays a role, too—but having access to crack doesn’t make someone a crack addict.

The science addiction treatment and recovery is also hazy: Alcoholics Anonymous, is the most widely used form of post treatment support in the country, has no set structure or methodology, which makes it tough to evaluate its effectiveness. There’s also the fact that its core principle involves anonymity—that members never publicly acknowledge their presence in the program—makes broad longitudinal studies difficult, In-patient treatment “rehabilitation” centers, like the one Hoffman checked himself into last year, have been accused of obfuscating their success rates. Addiction relapse prevention efforts are clearly a life-long mandate for anyone suffering from such illness . . .

Effective Addiction Treatment | Alternatives

It is clear that countless people addicted to drugs or alcohol have managed to get clean and stay clean with the help of organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous or the thousands of residential inpatient and outpatient clinics devoted to treating addiction.

However, if you have somehow failed to achieve lasting sobriety after “rehabilitate,” perhaps after spending tens of thousands of dollars, you’re not alone. And chances are, it’s not your fault.

Astounding is the fact that of the 23.5 million teenagers and adults addicted to alcohol or drugs, only about 1 in 10 gets treatment, which too often fails to keep them drug-free. Many of these programs fail to use proven methods to deal with the factors that underlie addiction and set off relapse.

If you are exploring effective addiction treatment options please feel free to give me a call! 206-547-4357

Researchers Say Online Game Firms Need do More to Prevent Addiction

Online game companies need to do more to prevent players becoming too addicted in order to avoid government intervention, a study has warned:

Researcher scientists at Cardiff, Derby and Nottingham Trent universities said some gamers play up to 90 hours a session, developing a “pathological addiction.”

The investigators say while conventional video games have an ending, role-playing games involving numerous players may not. The universities’ research warned if game companies did not create restraints for players and their games grew in popularity, Western governments might have no choice but to follow Asia and limit usage.

The study, published in the Addiction Research and Theory journal, has said Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are an inexhaustible system of goals and success.

The character becomes stronger and richer by moving to new levels while accumulating treasures, power and weaponry.

The universities have said evidence suggests around seven to 11% of gamers were having real problems and were considered “pathological gamers.” Many game addicts were reported to have been playing for 40, 60, and even near 90 hours in a session.

Dr Shumaila Yousafzai from Cardiff Business School said popular online video games warned players not to overuse their products.

“These warning messages also suggest that the online video game industry might know how high the percentage of over-users is, how much time gamers spend playing and what specific features make a particular game more engrossing and addictive than others,” he said.

“While they do not directly admit this, by showing the warning messages, they do take some responsibility into their own hands.”

Warning messages:

Cyber psychologist Dr Zaheer Hussain, from the University of Derby, said warning messages were not enough.

He said: “As a first step online game developers and publishers need to look into the structural features of the game design, for example the character development, rapid absorption rate, and multi-player features which could make them addictive and or problematic for some gamers.

“One idea could be to shorten long quests to minimise the time spent in the game obtaining a certain prized item.”

Why We ‘Self-Medicate’ Our Own Depression or Anxiety

How do we know when a couple of nightly drinks make the dark turn towards alcohol dependency? When liquor routinely becomes the solution for stress, anxiety, or conflict, it’s time to take a serious look at the issue. Mental health problems are often self-medicated with a drink or trip to the bar. If you notice a pattern in yourself, or others comment on your use of alcohol, consider the “ endless cycle of use” you may not have been willing to acknowledge. Does your dependency nag at you, complicate your life, or shame you? If so, it’s time to get help.

Watching Porn in Seattle | The Problem That Must Not Be Named

It’s ironic, but it is hard to have an adult conversation about sex. In some areas, sexually loaded topics are so taboo that you risk your reputation even to raise them. It is not as though we are unaware of this inconvenient truth, despite its political incorrectness in the mainstream culture. Recent research suggests that about 17 percent of individuals who view porn on the Internet meet criteria for sexual compulsivity. That translates to a lot of people, given that about 12 percent of all the Internet traffic is porn and nearly 90 percent of the young male population (about 30 percent of the young female population) view pornography at least occasionally. Unfortunately, this issue is so tricky politically that clinical researchers almost run the other way rather than address it.

Psychotherapy treatment researchers have recently found ways to break the self-amplifying pattern of urge suppression and urge indulgence in OCD, and in OCD spectrum disorders such as hair pulling or skin picking, by using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Several controlled studies have found positive effects for ACT by teaching people to walk in the exact opposite direction than that suggested by the problem-solving organ between our ears. Instead of struggling with futile attempts to control sexual urges, ACT teaches acceptance and mindful awareness of them. Instead of self-loathing and criticism, ACT therapy teaches self-compassion. Instead of avoidance, ACT instigates approaching and sustaining ones’ most authentic values in all important affairs!

Depression, Desire, Addiction: Is Meditation the Answer to Changing Your Brain?

There is no freedom in a life that is out of control. Peace may be discovered by mindful awareness practices and self-awareness that increase self-control. Brain research suggests that people can change the way they think and respond to life. According to neuropsychiatrist Daniel Amen, M.D., “You’re not stuck with the brain you’re born with. By changing your brain, you can change your life.” The Mind and Life and a program entitled the Zen Brain, Zen Mind Institute sponsor meetings that join science and Buddhism discover how meditation transforms life experiences. The article encourages time away to rest, find relief from pain, and to “come home to your own tender heart.”

The One Question that Kills Inaction

On a journey fraught with unexpected obstacles, we can become overwhelmed, frozen in place, and feel like we can’t take another step. Life’s circumstances can do the same thing, leaving us powerless, not knowing what to do next. Robert D. Smith, author of 20,000 Days and Counting, points out that even if we feel as though we don’t know what do do next, it doesn’t mean that we don’t actually know what to do. He suggests we stop and ask ourselves, “I know I don’t know what to do… but if I did know, what would I do?” When you believe you know the answer, he explains, this question will provide the answer every time.

ADHD Teens More Likely to Have Substance Abuse Problems

An eight year study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in conjunction with six other healthcare centers across the country, of over 600 teenagers has shown that kids diagnosed with ADHD have a substantially higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use than kids without ADHD, regardless of whether or not the ADHD is being treated. Teens with ADHD are three times more likely to have serious problems with substances. The results showed that 35% of ADHD students in the study had used one or more substances, compared to 20% of non-ADHD students. Ten percent experienced serious problems, compared to three percent of other students.

Diagnosing Substance Abuse and Dependence in Schizophrenia

It has been shown that people with mental disorders are more likely to also have a substance abuse disorder, and the more severe the mental disorder, the more likely it is to have an accompanying substance abuse disorder. The more common severe mental illnesses with the highest levels of substance abuse attachment are depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Substance abuse makes treating the illnesses harder, so it is important for a therapist to know whether or not a substance abuse disorder exists in their patients. To that effect, Sarah L. Desmarais performed a test to see if there is a superior method of those available to determine substance abuse in adults with schizophrenia.

Addiction and Depression

Depression is one of the most, if not the most, common co-occurring disorders most addicts have. Addicts often feel demoralized and helpless about their health and about their lives, and altered brain chemistry can easily escalate those feeling into depression. Richard Taite, the CEO and founder of the Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center, offers some suggestions on how to alleviate the feelings of depression. The first suggestion is exercise. It doesn’t even have to be going to the gym, but just any activity to get the body moving, whether that is walking up and down the stairs a few times or going out for a short walk.

Project Hope Targets Parental Depression and Adolescent Drug Use

Parental depression causes parents to be less effective in their parenting by making them less engaged with their children and less available to provide their children with the emotional and physical support that they need as they grow older. Without this support, children are more likely to develop psychological problems. In the past, there have been interventions designed to either target parental depression or the bad behavior that the children may have developed as a result of the depression, but only recently has a study been performed to examine the possibilities of targeting both elements simultaneously in a pilot program.

10 Warning Signs You are Addicted to Suffering

Writing from experience, Liz Seda explains that some people may become so used to tragedy and suffering in their lives that they begin to relate to it and internalize it as a part of their identity. They may grow so comfortable being miserable that they are unable to escape their misery. More, they may not even realize it. She provides ten signs that may indicate a person has grown too comfortable with their suffering. The first is being inconsolable, even in the face of clear evidence that something is not as bad as it seems. The second is believing that a person cannot control their feelings and so accepting all feelings of misery passively.

Massage: One of My Favorite Stress Management Techniques for Good Reason

Elizabeth Scott has always enjoyed getting massages and also enjoys the idea of them being a part of a stress management plan. In her experience, massage has been an excellent short-term stress management tool, but she has since wondered what the actual benefits of massage are compared to other stress managements practices and whether or not a massage carried long-term stress benefits. Research into some studies published in various journals brought good news. One study showed that a massage lowered a subject’s perceived level of stress, which also resulted in lowered heart rate and even lowered blood pressure. Another study showed that a Thai massage can increase heart rate variability, pain threshold, and body flexibility.

Are You Parenting Like Your Parent?

Whether they are good or bad, the traits of our parents live on in most of us. They may sometimes show through in moments of passion where we find ourselves behaving in a way that is not like our usual self. This can sometimes be a good thing, when we see the traits that we admired in our parents manifest themselves unexpectedly, but their negative traits will often linger within us as well, particularly those negative traits that caused negative emotions within us as children, such as fear, frustration, or misery. Fortunately, negative traits or programming can be overcome once the traits and their cause are identified in our behavior.

Culture Stigmatizing Mental Illness Must Change

After a second student from Northwestern University passed away during the fall semester, one by suicide while studying abroad, professors Christina Traina and Laurie Zoloth have written in about the stigma surrounding mental illness that impedes the prevention of such tragedies. The Centers for Disease Control report that suicide is the third most common cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24 and the second most common for people between 25 and 34. Nearly every person who attempts suicide is suffering from an underlying issue such as depression. If the stigma around mental health issues can be raised, action can be taken to address mental illnesses before tragedy strikes.

How Gratitude Combats Depression

According to Dr. Deborah Serani, studies show that consistent positive interaction, particularly positive interactions that involve gratitude, both increase happiness and decrease depression levels. So while the holiday season may also be a season of gratitude, it can be emotionally important to try and practice gratitude throughout the entire year. Dr. Serani shares seven of the best techniques researchers have found to combat depression, including gratitude visits. A gratitude visit is simply delivering gratitude in the form of a letter or email to someone whom you are grateful to but feel you have not appropriately thanked. Another technique is to write down three good things that have happened throughout the week.

Bouncing Back: How You Can Help

There are many disasters and tragedies that occur across the world that undoubtedly leave survivors traumatized. The good news is that most of the survivors will rebound fairly quickly from trauma, even when it is severe. In recent years, post-traumatic stress disorder has been given a lot of attention in the media. It is a disorder that can haunt survivors with flashbacks of a traumatizing event and disrupt their sleep and concentration. With the focus on PTSD, however, the resiliency of human nature may be overlooked. Research shows that about 8-20% of people who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD.

Changing My Mindset Changed My Life

Henri Juntilla learned how to change his entire life by practicing Aikido. Aikido is a Japanese martial art, but the change it brought was a change of self-awareness. Juntilla realized he had a mindset of seeking approval from the instructor without actually enjoying the activity. The change of mindset occurred when Juntilla got tired of seeking permission and approval for his actions and instead took responsibility for them by fully committing, right or wrong. It can be exhausting constantly trying to figure out what someone else wants. Letting go of that effort first helped to improve his martial art and then helped to improve his life.

What’s Wrong with Infidelity? Marital Counseling in Seattle

The Wall Street Journal has reported that in the years from 1991 to 2006, the number of unfaithful wives under the age of 30 has increased by 20 percent, while the number of unfaithful husbands has increased 45 percent in the same timeframe. Other studies show that between 30 and 60 percent of married individuals in the United States will cheat at some point in their marriage. According to an article in Psychotherapy Networker, 35 to 55 percent of people who have had affairs report being happy in their marriage at the time of the affair. The article suggests that more couples are mutually agreeing to take alternative approaches to sexual fidelity.

Dr. Hart